Reformation Thought: An Introduction

Reformation Thought is an acclaimed and popular introductory guide for theology and history students seeking to understand the central ideas of the European reformations. Based on McGrath's considerable experience of teaching Reformation studies, this text requires no prior knowledge of Christian theology. The revised third edition:Includes a new chapter on the thought of the English Reformation. Responds to new insights in Renaissance and Reformation scholarship. Includes increased biographical coverage of major Reformation thinkers. Contains a new section on Reformation sources and updated bibliographies. Retains all the features which made earlier editions so attractive to students.

Table of Contents:
Preface. How to Use this Book. Part I: Introduction:. The Cry for Reform. The Concept of 'Reformation'. The Lutheran Reformation. The Reformed Church. The Radical Reformation (Anabaptism). The Catholic Reformation. The Importance of Printing. The Social Context of the Reformation. The Religious Ideas of the Reformers. The Social Role of Religious Ideas: Germany and England. Part II: Late Medieval Religion:. The Growth of Popular Religion. The Rise in Anti-Clericalism. The Rise of Doctrinal Pluralism. A Crisis of Authority. An English Case Study: Lollardy. Part III: Humanism and the Reformation. The Concept of "Renaissance":. The Concept of "Humanism". Classical Scholarship and Philosophy. The New Philosophy of the Renaissance. Kristeller's View of Humanism. Ad fontes -Back to the Sources. Northern European Humanism. The Northern European Reception of the Italian Renaissance. The Ideals of Northern European Humanism. Eastern Swiss Humanism. French Legal Humanism. English Humanism. Erasmus of Rotterdam. Humanism and the Reformation -An Evaluation. Humanism and the Swiss Reformation. Humanism and the Wittenburg Reformation. Tensions between Reformation and Humanism. Part IV: Scholasticism and the Reformation:. "Scholasticism" Defined. Scholasticism and the Universities. Types of Scholasticism. Realism versus Nominalisation. "Pelaginism" and "Augustinianism". The Via Moderna ("Nominalism"). The Schola Augustiniana Moderna ("Augustinianism"). The Impact of Medieval Scholasticism upon the Reformation. Luther's Relation to Late Medieval Scholasticism. Calvin's Relation to Late Medieval Scholasticism. The Social Context of Scholasticism. PartV: The Reformers: A Biographical Introduction:. Martin Luther. Huldrych Zwingli. Philipp Melanchthon. Martin Bucer. John Calvin. Part VI: The Doctrine of Justification by Faith:. A Foundational Theme: Redemption through Christ. The Concept of Grace. Martin Luther's Theological Breakthrough. The Doctrine of Justification. Luther's Early Views on Justification. Luther's Discovery of the 'Righteousness of God'. The Nature of Justifying Faith. Causes and Consequences of Luther's Doctrine of Justification. The Concept of 'Forensic Justification'. Divergences among the Reformers on Justification. Justification and the Swiss Reformation. Later Developments: Bucer and Calvin on Justification. The Catholic Response: Trent on Justification. The Nature of Justification. The Nature of Justifying Righteousness. The Nature of Justifying Faith. The Assurance of Salvation. PartVII: The Doctrine of Predestination:. Zwingli on the Divine Sovereignty. Calvin on Predestination. Predestination in Later Calvinism. The Doctrine of Grace and the Reformation. Part VIII: The Return to Scripture:. Scripture in the Middle Ages. The Concept of 'Tradition'. The Vulgate Translation of the Bible. The Medieval Vernacular Versions of Scripture. Humanists and the Bible. The Bible and the Reformation. The Canon of Scripture. The Authority of Scripture. The Role of Tradition. Methods of Interpreting Scripture. The Right to Interpret Scripture. The Catholic Response: Trent on Scripture. Part IX: The Doctrine of the Sacraments:. The Sacraments and the Promises of Grace. Luther on the Sacraments. Luther's Views on the Real Presence. Zwingli on the Real Presence. Zwingli on Infant Baptism. Luther versus Zwingli: A Summary and Evaluation. Calvin on the Sacraments. The Catholic Response: Trent on the Sacraments. Part X: The Doctrine of the Church:. The Background to the Reformation Debates: The Donatist Controversy. The Context of the Reformation Views on the Church. Luther on the Nature of the Church. The Radical view of the Church. Tensions within Luther's Doctrine of the Church. Calvin on the Nature of the Church. The Two Marks of the Church. Calvin on Church and Consistory. Calvin on the Role of the Church. The Debate over the Catholicity of the Church. Part XI: The Political Thought of the Reformation:. The Radical Reformation and Secular Authority. Luther's Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms. Zwingli on the State and Magistrate. Bucer on Magistrate and Ministry. Calvin on Magistrate and Ministry. Part XII: The Diffusion of the Thought of the Reformation:. The Physical Agencies of Diffusion. The Vernacular. Books. The Interchange of People. The Catechisms. Confessions of Faith. Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. Part XIII: The Thought of the English Reformation:. The Origins of the English Reformation: Henry VIII. The Consolidation of the English Reformation: Edward VI to Elizabeth I. Justification by Faith in the English Reformation. The Real Presence in the English Reformation. Part XIV: The Impact of Reformation Thought upon History:. An Affirmative Attitude towards the World. The Protestant Work Ethic. Reformation Thought and the Origins of Capitalisation. The Notions of Human Rights and Justifiable Regicide. Reformation Thought and the Emergence of the Natural Sciences. Conclusions. Appendix 1. A Glossary of Theological and Historical Terms. Appendix 2. English Translations of Major Primary Sources. Appendix 3. Standard Abbreviations of Major Journals and Sources. Appendix 4. How to Refer to Major Primary Sources. Appendix 5. Referring to the Psalms in the Sixteenth Century. Appendix 6. Updating Reformation Bibliographies. Appendix 7. Chronology of Political and Intellectual History. Notes. Select Bibliography. Index.

About the Author :
Alister E. McGrath is Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford and Research Lecturer in Theology at Oxford University. He is the author of numerous works in theology, including the best-selling Christian Theology: An Introduction, Second Edition (Blackwell Publishers, 1996).

Review :
"Alister McGrath... is one of the best scholars and teachers of the Reformation... [this book] is more than one dared ask for... How teachers will rejoice in this wonderfully useful book." Teaching History (of a previous edition). "Vigorous, brisk and highly stimulating. The reader will be thoroughly engaged from the outset, and considerably enlightened at the end." John Platt, Pembroke College, University of Oxford (of a previous edition). "Highly recommended." Choice (of a previous edition). "A remarkably fine introduction to the study of the Reformation and its theological ideas; it is exceptionally well thought out, fully up to date in its scholarship, fair in its presentation, and simply pellucid in its explanations. Highly recommended." ADRIS (of a previous edition). "...this second edition of Reformation Tought is very useful, especially in providing a guide to reformation writings and writers (both primary and secondary) for the upper-division or beginning student of Reformation ideas." Elwood E. Mather III, Montana State University. "McGrath does a good job of summarizing the Reformation's principal ideas. Reformation Thought is a helpful primer and a genuine counterbalance to polemical Catholic treatments, excessively irenical ecumenical assessments, and secular renditions that minimize or ignore the power of theological ideas to revolutionize a culture." Catholic Dossier